Letter: Tone down gun talk

In reply to Mr. Bill Rifkin’s article in the last Ledger, “automatic weapons” have been banned since 1934. Some states allow people to own some older firearms after a strict background check and paying a $200 tax. The price range of most of these firearms is between $6,000 and $10,000.

As far as “exploding-armor piercing” ammo, you will be happy to know the NRA has led the fight to ban them. Bullets that can pierce bulletproof vests have been around since the Civil War. Any common hunting round can pierce a vest. The common AR-15 is used 50% for target shooting, 30% for hunting and 20% for self-defense.

If you are talking about the people versus the U.S. government, the most advanced military in the world, simply look to how Russia and the U.S. did in Afghanistan. If you think our military and guard units will fire on their friends and neighbors because they have a firearm that is painted black, I hope we never find out.

We also hear that the AR-15 is a “high power” weapon; it is much less powerful than any firearm used in World War I. In some states it is not powerful enough to be allowed for hunting deer. Can it kill someone? Yes, of course, but you are 10 times more likely to be killed by a baseball bat than any gun.

About author

So, Mr. Bennett, you’re saying that about 300,000 people were killed by baseball bats in American last year?
You have any data to back that up?
I’d ask you to back up your other alleged facts, but I don’t have time to list all of your highly dubious assertions.

george bennett

killers in the U.S.
tobacco use–592.000,medical errors–195.000,unintention injuries–118,021,alcohol abuse–107,000,motor vehicle–34,000,poisoning–31,000,drugs–25,000,falls–24,793,non-firearm homicides–16,799,firearm homicides–11,493.
according to the FBI the number one weapon used in vioent crimes is a baseball bat.

Fact Checker

Just to be clear: Yes, the FBI site does list instances in which baseball bats were used as weapons, but they don’t seem to be used in any reporting of overall data.

Fact Checker

Directly from the FBI website, for 2011, the last year of full data available:
“Information collected regarding type of weapon showed that firearms were used in 67.7 percent of the nation’s murders, 41.3 percent of robberies, and 21.2 percent of aggravated assaults. (Weapons data are not collected for forcible rape.) (See Expanded Homicide Data Table 7, Robbery Table 3, and the Aggravated Assault Table.)”
“Of the aggravated assault offenses in 2011 for which law enforcement agencies provided expanded data, 26.9 percent were committed with personal weapons such as hands, fists, or feet. Slightly more than 21 percent (21.2) of aggravated assaults were committed with firearms, and 19.1 percent were committed with knives or cutting instruments. The remaining 32.8 percent of aggravated assaults were committed with other weapons.”
Maybe, Mr. Bennett, you can find a direct quote listing baseball statistics, per your statement about FBI statistics. I couldn’t.